Weft-replenishing loom.



No. 729,401. PATENTED MAY 26; 1903.

. I. F. PBGK. v WEFT EEPLENISHING- LOOM.

APPLICATION nun SEPT. 15, 1902.

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PATENTED MAY 26, 1903 I. F. PEGK. WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1902.

9 SHEETS-SHEET a N0 MODEL.

\A/ITNESSEEI- No. 729,401. PATBNTED MAY 26, 1903.

I. P. PEOK. WEFT RBPLENISHING oom.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1902 N0 [ODE-L. -9 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSESZ- INN NTDRr sfw w I No. 729,401. PATENTED MAYIZG, 1903. I. F. PEGK. WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM.

y APPLIOA TION FILED SEPT. 15, 1902. N0 MODEL. 9 8H-EETS- SHEET 6.

WITN E55 E5 INVENTE -No. 729,401." 'PATENTED MAY 26,1903.

' I. F. PEGK.

WEFTYREPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLIOATIOF FILED SEPT. 15, 1902.

- F0 MODEL. 9 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

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ma NOBRK5 vzriks co. FHDTG-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, n c.

PATENTED MAY 26, 1903.

I. F. PEGK. WBFT REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLIOA 'IION' FILED SEPT. 15, 1902.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

N0 MODEL.

lNVENTEJ Ii v ra I. P. PEOK.

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PATENTBD- MAY 26, 1903.

WEFT REPLENISHING Loom. APPLICATION IILEDBEPT. 15, 14502.

9 SHEETB-8HEBT 9.

/////j D 54 v i I I Ky gunman UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

IRA PEOK, OF AUBURN, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COM- PANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

WEFT-R EPLENISHING LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,401, dated May 26, 1903.

' Application filed Septethberlb, 1902. Serial No. 123,480. (No model.)

To aZZ-whom it may concern: Be it known that I, IRA F. PECK, of Auburn, in the coun'tyof Providence and State of Rhode Island, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Weft-Re plenishing Looms, of'whichthe following is a specification. 1

The object of, this invention is to automatically replenish the Weft or filling in looms when the filling in the running shuttle runs. out, breaks, or'a'pproaches exhaustion. In. accordance with the present. invention when the filling needs to be replenishedthe spent shuttle is removed from the lay and trans ferred to a shuttle-holder, a spare filled shuttle takes its place, and while the spent shuttle is in the holder the empty bobbin or other weft-carrier is removed and a fresh bobbin or carrier is substituted therefor, so that the refilled shuttle is ready to be transferred to the lay on the next failure offilling, all of these operations being automatically effected. In conjunction with the spare-shuttle holder is a magazine or hopper containing a supply of bobbins or other filling-carriers, which are placed in the hopper by hand, thethread ends being secured by hand to a suitable weft-end holder, and antomatically-threading shuttles are used.

In order that the improvements may be un-v derstood, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the breast-beam and lay of a loom looking toward one side of the loom and showing sufiicient of a loom to enable the present im-l provements to be understood. Fig-2 is 'an' elevation of the spare-shuttle holder and of, the bobbin-hopper as the same appearwhen looking toward them from the lay. Fig. 3 is a side view, and Fig. 4 a vertical section, of the spare-shuttleholderand the bobbin-hopper. i Fig. 5is Va sidefvie-w, and Fig.6 a plan view, of-the shuttle-box at the change end of the lay and of the mechanism which edects the disorganization of the shuttle-box for the exchange of shuttles. Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly on section, illustrating the means for actuating the spare-shuttle inserter. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the spare-shu ttle holder and the lay, illustrating the spare-shuttle inserter. Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the shuttie-box at the change end of the lay. Figs. 10 to 12 are detailsectional views. The planes on which the sections of Figs. 4, 8, 9, 10, 11', and 12 are taken are indicated by section-lines correspondingly numbered in Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 9.

Referring first to Fig. 1,-A is the lay, 20 is the crank-shaft, 2i is the breast-beam, B is the spare-shuttle holder, fast to the breast beam and in front of the shuttle-box at the change end of the lay, and O is the hopper or magazine for the supply of reserve bobbins or other weft-carriers, which is located above the spare-shuttle holder B. This bobbin-hopper is substantially likethat employed in the well-known Northrop loom, (see United States PatentsNo. 529,940, November27,1 894, 7c and No. 563,611, July 7, 1896,) and hence requires no detailed description. It sufiices to say that it has a step-by-step rotatable member 22, (see Fig. 4,) which carries the bobbins or other weft-carriers a a, and connected with said member-is a similarly-rotatable weft-end holder D, Figs. 2 and 3, to. which. are secured the ends of the bobbin-threads. v 7

There is a single spare shuttle S, carried by the spare-shuttle holder, its normal location being indicated in Fig. 1. This figure also illustrates the working shuttle in the shuttlebox at the change end of the lay. There are thus employed two shuttles which are similar to the well-known automatically-threading shuttles employed in the Northrop loom, and hence need not be-specifically described. Such shuttles are shown in United States Patents No. 454,807, June 28, 1891, and No. 505,203, September 19, 1893.

The main operatinginstrumentalities which effect the change of shuttles and the replenishment of bobbins or otherweft-carriers in the spent shuttle are the vertically-movable front E, Fig. 9, of theshutt-le-box at the 5 change end of the lay; a shuttle-ejector F, I Fig. 9, which ejects the spent shuttle .forwardly and horizontally into the shuttle holder B when the box-front E is lifted; a spare-shuttle inserter G, Figs. 1 and 8, which delivers the spare shuttle into the shuttlebox on the lay; a shuttle-carrier H, Figs. 3 and 4, which takes the ejected spent shuttle and moves it into position to receivea fresh bobbin; a bobbin-inserter I, Fig. 4, which inserts a fresh bobbin into the spent shuttle, the spent bobbin being simultaneously ejected, and a shuttle-placer J, Fig. 8, which moves the now refilled shuttle to its normal location in the shuttle-holder ready to be inserted into the shuttle-box on the lay when the next change of shttttles is called.

The general operation of the replenishing iustrunientalities is as follows: When a change of shuttles is called, owing to the breaking, running out, or approaching exhaustion of filling in the working shuttle,these instrumentalities are automatically brought into action. On the forward beat of the lay and after the spent shuttle is in the shuttlebox at the change side of the loom the shuttle-box front E, Fig. 9, is elevated, thus opening a forward path for the spent shuttle. As the lay approaches the front center the sliding shuttle-ejector F acts to eject the spent shuttle, pushing the shuttle horizontally forward off from the lay and into the shuttleholder B, the spent shuttle being deposited immediately above the shuttle-carrier H, which then occupies the position shown in Fig. 3. Having ejected the spent shuttle,the ejector F at once retires, leaving the shuttlebox open to receive the spare shuttle. The reciprocating shuttle-inserter G, Figs. 1 and 3, then descends upon the spare shuttle just below it, thus forcing the spare shuttle positively into the shuttle-box. The shuttle-box front E then closes and the shuttle-inserter rises, thus completing the shuttle-changing operation. This operation is completed before the lay on its backward travel reaches the picking, position. Concurrently with the elevation of the shuttle-inserter G after putting in the spare shuttle the swinging shuttle-carrier II rises from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, thus elevating the spent shuttle to cooperative position relatively to the bobbin-hopper O and the bobbin-inserter I. The swinging bobbin-inserter I then descends, thus driving the lowermost bobbin a in the hopper downwardly into the shuttle and driving down and out the spent bobbin, and thereupon the inserter I rises and the rotatable member 22 of the hopper and the weft-end holder D are rotated one step to bring the next bobbin into position for insertion. The operation of the hopper U and inserter I is just the same as in the Northrop loorn, the difference being that in that loom the shuttle is on the lay during the transfer of bobbins, whereas in the present case the shuttle is held stationary in the holder B by the carrier II. This action of the bobbin-inserter takes place as the lay approaches the back center. On the next forward beat of the lay the now refilled shuttle is moved backwardly by means of the sliding shuttle-placer J, Fig. 8, from the position shown in Fig. 4 to its normal position,

(shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 8,) where it is above the shuttle-box when the lay is at the front center. The carrier H and placer J then return to their original positions, thus completing the replenishing operation, the whole occupying somewhat less than two back-andforth beats of the lay. The weft-end holder D holds onto the end of the weft-thread of the bobbin of the freshly-inserted shuttle while said shuttle is performing the first excursion across the lay, so that the shuttle is automatically threaded in the satne way as in the Northrop loom.

The entire replenishing operation is controlled by a rocking starting-shaft K, Fig. 1, which is like the corresponding shaft in the Northrop lootn and is rocked in any welknown way, as through the action of the ordinary weft-fork, when the filling runs out or breaks or through the action of a fillingfeeler which detects approaching exhaustion of the filling. Such means for operating a starting-shaft like the shaft K when the filling is to be replenished are now so well known as to require no description. When this starting-shaft K is thus rocked, an arm 23, Fig. 5, thereon is swung back away from the breast-beam, thus elevating a swinging frog 24, to which it is connected by a slot-and-pin connection. This elevation of the frog brings its two shoulders into the paths, respectively, of two daggers 25 and 26, Fig. 5, carried by the lay. As the lay beats forward the upper dagger 25 first encounters the frog 24, thus swinging the pivoted lever 27, Fig. 9, to which said dagger is pivoted. This lever 27 is on a rock-shaft 28, Figs. 6 and 9, having arms 29, each with a latch 30, Fig. 9, which latches lock the shuttle-box front E down. The action of the dagger 25 on the frog removes these latches 30, thus freeing the front E, which is quickly moved up by its actuating-springs 31. The ends of the front E are controlled by inclined guideways 32, Fig. 9, so that as the front rises it also moves forward,thusgetting the usualoverhangingshelf out of the path of the descending fresh shuttle. When the dagger 25 is released from the frog, the spring 33, Fig. 9, restores the latches 30, which catch the front E, when it is subsequently depressed by the action of the shuttleinserter G, which in its shuttle-inserting movement also encounters and closes the front E. Just after the front E has been elevated the lower dagger 26 encottnters the frog 24, thus moving the said dagger back, (relatively to the lay,) thereby through crank arm 34, (see Fig. 9,) rock-shaft 35, and arms 36 sliding the two-armed ejector F forward, thus ejecting the shuttle forwardly. The ejector is returned to its normal position by the spring 37. The rocking of the starting-shaft K also through leaf-spring 38, Fig. 1, secured to arm 23, rocks lever 39, which in turn lifts the pivoted frog 40 into the path of the hunter ll on the lay, so that as the lay beats forward said frog 40 moves forward, and with it the sliderod 42, to which it is pivoted. The slide-rod thus swings the pivoted lever 43, which at its upper end has a cam 44. (Best shown in Fig. 7.) The depression of the cam slides inwardly (toward the middle of the loom) atap pet-block 45, which swings on fixed stud 46 and is coupled by guide-pin 47 to an arm 48,,

also swinging on said stud 46. The inward thrust of this tappet-block brings its tappet 49, Figs. 1 and 7, into the path-of a wiper 50 on the crank-shaft 20, whereby the tappetblock and arm 48 are swung on the stud 46. The arm 48 is adjustably connected to a link 51, Fig. l, pivotally connected at its upper end to the rear end of a centrally-pivoted lever 52, the front end of which is connected by a link 53 to the shuttle-inserter G. Hence when the arm 48 is swung by the Wiper 50 the inserter Gis positively depressed to insert the spare shuttle and to close the front E. When this has been done, the wiper 50 encounters the restoring-lever 54, Figs. 1 and 7, pivoted to fixed stud 55 on the frame 550, thereby swinging arm 48 in the opposite direction, and hence positively elevating theshuttle-inserter G. Spring 56, Fig. 7, then acts to restore tappet-block 45, spring 57, Fig. 1, to restore cam-lever43 and slide-rod 42, and spring 58, Fig. 1, to restore starting-shaft K.

The inserter comprises two vertically-reciprocating shoes G G, both being shown in Fig. 2 and being shown separatelyin Figs. 1,

3, and 8. As shown in Fig. 2, these shoes are outside the opposite sides of the rotary member of the bobbin-hopper and within the shuttle-tip guides of the spare-shuttle holder, so that when the shuttle-inserter operates its shoes encounter the spare shuttle near its two tips, thus forcing the shuttle squarely into the shuttle-box. The shoes G G are operatively connected to move together by means of arms 59, which are pivotally connected thereto respectively and are fast at their forward ends to a rock-shaft 61. Each shoe is also connected by a link to a fixed bracket, the purpose of these links being to cause the shoes to seat squarely upon the shuttle and to travel in the proper direction during the shuttle-inserting operation.

The movement of. the shuttle-carrier H to elevate the spent shuttle is brought about by v the restoration of the shuttle-inserter G to its normal elevated position. One of the swinging arms 59 of the shuttle-inserter carries a pivoted gravity-latch 62, Figs. 4 and 8, which cooperates with a catch 63, Fig. 4, on the carrier H. 61 to swing freely up and down. .Whenthe shuttle-inserter G moves down to insert the spare shuttle, the latch 62 automatically ongages thecatch 63, and then when the inserter G rises the carrier moves upwardly therewith. The latch is shown as agravity-latch, but may be further controlled by a spring. This elevation of the carrier brings the spent shuttle into the bobbin-receiving position, as indicated in Fig. 4. The carrieris restored to its The carrier is hung on the rock-shaftnormal position by the releaseof the latch 62 I (by means hereinafter described) when the carrier drops down by gravity, aided in case of need by a spring. The carrier H being thus elevated, the bobbin-inserter I operates to insert a fresh bobbin and to expel the spent bobbin. The carrier H has a depending arm 64, Figs. 2, 3, 4,'and 8, which on its inner side has a bowl 65, which cooperates with a pivoted hooked rod 66. When the carrier H is down, this bowl 65 rests on rod 66,thns holding it down, as shown in Fig. 3, and-keeping the hook out of the path of a catch 67 on the lay A. When, however, the carrier rises to bring the spent shuttle into bobbin-receiving position, the rod 66 is released and is free to rise, whereupon it is lifted by a spring 68, Fig. 4, into the path of said lay-catch 67. As shown in Fig. 4, the hookedend of rod 66 rests on a follower 69, controlled by the spring 68 and having a limited vertical movement. This construction permits a limited elevation of the rod 66 without limiting the elevation of the carrier and also permits the subsequent lengthwise movement of the rod 66. The rod 66 is'again lowered when the carrier H descends. rier H ascends with the shuttle-inserter G, which movement takes place before the first picking of the fresh shuttle occurs, and consequently the hooked rod 66 is elevated into It will be remembered that the car-- moving back. Said catch and rod 66 are so located that the hook of the rod is encountered by the catch while the lay is retreating, and hence said rod is moved longitudinally backward. This rod 66 at its forward end, Fig. 4, is pivoted to bell-crank lever 70, moving on the shaft 61, the opposite arm of which is connected by link 71 with the outer end of the bobbin-inserter I, so that the movement of the rod 66 backwardly by the catch 67 on the lay causes the bobbin-inserter I to descend and force a fresh bobbin a into the shuttle, and thereby expelling downwardly the spent bobbin, The bobbin-inserter is restored to its normal position by aspring 72, (indicated in Fig. 4,) such restoring being usual in the Northrop loom. Concurrently the hopper is operated to bring another bobbin into transferring position, as in the Northrop loom. Finally, to complete the replenishing action the shuttle-placer J operates to move the now refilled shuttle from the bobbin-receiving position shown in Fig. 4 to the position ready for insertion into the shuttle-box shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 8. The shuttle-placer comprises two push-bars J J, Fig. 2, which are mounted to slide in the carrier H and which operate upon the front wall of the shuttle to push it squarely along. Fig. 8 shows the placer back and just as it places the fresh shuttle into inserting position. Each pushbar J of the replacer is connected to a crossbar 74, which slides upon acentral guide-rod 75, constituting part of the carrier H. The cross-bar 74 is connected by a restoring-spring ICC 76 to the hub of the carrier. The cross-bar has an extension 73, Figs. 2 and 8, which is connected by link 77 to lever 78, to whose lower end is pivoted a dagger 79. This dagger extends through a slot, Fig. 2, in the depending arm 64 of the carrier H and is adapted to be lifted by the bowl 80 on said arm. When the carrier is elevated to bring the spent shuttle into bobbin-receiving position, the bowl 8O lifts the dagger 79 into the path of a hunter 81, Fig. 8, on the lay. Hence as the lay again beats forward after the change of bobbins has been effected, hunter 81 encounters dagger 79, moving it forward, and hence moving the shuttle-placer J back to the position shown in Fig. 8. When the lay next retreats, the spring 76 restores the shuttle-placer to its norma forward position.

The sh uttle-placercarries a spring-catch 82, Fig. 8, which engages the tip of the latch 62 (on the arm of the shuttle-inserter G) when the placer performs its shuttle-placing movement. When, then, the placer is restored by its spring 76, catch 2 swings latch (32, thus freeing carrier H from inserter G, whereupon said carrier drops to its original position, thus permitting dagger 79 to drop again below the path of the lay-hunter 81. This finishes the restoration of all parts to their normal stationary positions and completes the replenishing operation.

The entire operation is completed before the freshly-inserted shuttle is again picked back to the shuttle-box at the change end of the lay, so that should a second change be then desired or necessary the replenishing mechanism is ready to act.

Several special features are shown to which reference has not yet been made.

The shuttle-box is provided with doublybeveled shuttle-tip guides 11, Figs. 9 and 12, which are inclined from the shuttle-box outwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, so. as to make a gradually-contracting passage for the shuttle during the ejection, and are also gradually contracted in cross-section from front to rear. As the result the shuttle is properly guided and presented to the shuttle-holder irrespective of any variations of the position of the shuttle in the shuttle-box. These guides are properly shaped in cross-section to fit the shuttle-tips.

The shuttle-holder 13 comprises two end plates 0 and d, Fig. 2, spaced apart a distance approximating the length of the shuttle and each having a guideway for one tip of the shuttle. As best shown in Fig. 4, each guideway comprises a lower branch f, which receives the shuttle-tip during the action of the ejector F,an ascending branch h,which guides the shuttle-tip during the elevation of the shuttle-carrier H, an upper branch j, which guides the shuttle-tip during the operation of the placer J, and a descending branch g, which guides the shuttle-tip during the beginning of the shuttles descent into the shuttie-box on the lay. These guides and the end plates 0 d prevent any endwise movement of the shuttle or its displacement. Springcatches e and 2', Figs. 10 and 11, catch the shuttle-tipsand holdtheshuttle. The catches 'L', Fig. 1, retain the filled spare shuttle in the transferring position above the shuttle-box when the lay is forward.

In the Northrop loom the bobbin-hopper is immediately above the lay, with its axis substantially above the lay when at front center. In the present case the hopper is elevated and forward as compared with the Northrop loom. Also in the Northrop loom there is no movement of the bobbin until it is transferred to the lay, while in the present case the bobbin is moved into the shuttle and the shuttle is moved into transferring position, and these actions may take place a long time before the transfer of shuttles takes place. As a consequence some change in the weft-end-controlling devices has been found to be important. As shown in Fig. 2, each weft end is led from its bobbin ct over a hook on the outer face of the rotary bobbin-carrying member 22 of the hopper, thence into an undercut notch Z, Fig. 3, in the usual outer rotatable disk m, said notch constituting an open or slotted thread -eye, and thence to and around the usual weft-end holderD. Thesethread-hooks and open eyes prevent the sagging of the thread and its falling away from the disk m until the spare shuttle has been put into place on the lay.

It is desirable that the shuttle-binder of the shuttle-box at the change end of the lay should be pushed back out of the path of theincoming shuttle. Many devices for this purpose are known in the art and may be adopted. There is shown a beveled upper edge 11 on the binder, Fig. 1, which the descending spare shuttle encounters, thereby forcingthe binder backward.

To aid in directing the spare shuttle into the shuttle-box and to prevent the shuttle tipping over as it enters, a hinged guard 0, Figs. 5 and 6, is pivoted to the shuttle-box above the binder, which is held normally horizontalbyaspringp. Thisisencountered by the incoming shuttle and yields to permit it to enter the shuttle-box, while at the same time it oifers sufficient resistance in the proper direction to keep the shuttle right side up.

The dagger 25, Fig. 9, is released from the frog 24, Fig. 5, as soon as the shuttle-box front E has been unlatched by its tail end t, hearing against the front lower edge of the lay.

The bobbins a shown are such as are commonly employed in the Northrop loom (see United States Patent No. 568,718, September 29, 1896) and are adapted to be grasped by the usual bobbin-holding jaws of the shuttle. In this specification and in the claims the expression bobbin is used generically to include a cop-spindle or other form of weft-carrier adapted to be inserted into a shuttle.

I believe myself to be the first to combine in an automatic weft-replenishing loom shuttle-changing and bobbin-changing mechanism, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the details of the mechanism selected for the illustration of the principles of rnyinvention. It is obvious that the mechanism can be greatly modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

I claim as my invention 1. An automatic weft-replenishing loom having, in combination, shuttle changing mechanism, and bobbin-changing mechanism.

, 2. An automatic Weftreplenishing loom having, in combination, a lay, means for removing the spent shuttle from the lay, means for placing a filled shuttle on the lay, and means for ejecting the spent bobbin from the spent shuttle and for replacing it with a fresh bobbin.

3. An automatic weft-replenishing loom having, in combination, a lay, means for re moving the spent shuttle from the lay, means for replacing the spent bobbin of the removed shuttle with a fresh bobbin, and means for subsequently placing the refilled shuttle on the lay.

4. An automatic weft-replenishing loom sition to be subsequently transferred to the lay.

5. An automatic Weft-replenishing loom having, in combination, a rotary bobbin-hopper having a rotary weft-end holder, and

hooks, and open eyes through which are threaded the weft ends as they extend from the bobbins to said Weft-end holder.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

IRA F. PEOK.

Witnesses:

GEORGE OTIS DRAPER, ERNEST W. WOOD. 

